Airport project: Land Revenue Commissioner orders probe

Land Revenue Commissioner T.O. Sooraj has directed the Pathanamthitta District Collector to conduct an urgent inquiry into the alleged violation of laws in the land transactions as well as the related mutation process taken place in the villages of Aranmula, Mallappuzhasserry and Kidangannur in connection with a proposed international airport project in Aranmula.

Talking to The Hindu , Mr. Sooraj said the inquiry was on the basis of a petition filed by Thiruvaranmula Paithruka Grama Karma Samiti (TPGKS) patron Kummanam Rajasekharan on November 23.

He said District Collector V.N. Jithendran has been asked to conduct an “urgent inquiry” and report to the government in a time-bound manner. The Collector would look into the violations, if any, of the Kerala Land Conservancy Act, Kerala Land Utilisation Act, and Kerala Land Reforms Act taken place in the three villages.

In his petition to the Land Revenue Commissioner, the TPGKS patron had alleged that Abraham Kalamannil of the Kozhencherry-based Mount Zion Group had illegally converted a large extent of low-lying paddy land spread across the three villages.

Mr. Rajasekharan said Mr. Kalamannil had also purchased more paddy fields in Aranmula and surrounding areas for converting them in the name of an airport project.

Inquiry report

In an inquiry report submitted to the government on July 2, the Joint Land Revenue Commissioner C. Reghu had categorically stated the “commissions and omissions on the part of the government officials’’ leading to illegal paddy land conversion in Aranmula.

The report also recommended a “Vigilance inquiry into the whole issue so as to find out the official lapses and also to contain such instances in future.’’ It further maintained that the “lapses spread over different departments reveal a definite pattern which is not in the interest of the State and hence an inquiry confined to one department is not enough to reveal everything.’’

Meanwhile, the government had also dismissed a plea of the Aranmula Aviation Limited chaired by Mr. Kalamannil (letter dated February 2, 2008) seeking exemption from Land Ceiling Act for 200 acres of land purchased in the villages.

Earlier report

The Collector had filed a detailed report to the Land Revenue Commissioner on September 9, 2009, but to no avail, official sources said.

The Chennai-based KGS Group had purchased 99.3624 ha of land that includes 85.7402 ha of paddy land, from Mr. Kalamannil and other farmers, later. Ironically, the data made available through the Right to Information Act from the taluk and village offices concerned here showed that the KGS Group had managed to complete the mutation process of the land it had purchased in violation of the prevailing laws of the land, the TPGKS petition said.

It also alleged gross violation of the laws and corruption involved in the mutation process facilitating illegal possession of land far exceeding the 15-acre limit prescribed in the Kerala Land Reforms Act by the KGS company.

Mr. Rajasekharan has demanded re-examination of the entire process and cancel of the mutation in toto, respecting the laws of the land.

He alleged that the land transactions and its mutation made in the name of a private international airport project at Aranmula was illegal, and anti-people, amounted to human rights violation and denial of social justice.

He called for cancellation of all land transactions taken place in the three villages in the name of one or the other private airport project during the past 10 years and take stern steps to return the land to its original owners.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/airport-project-land-revenue-commissioner-orders-probe/article4139135.ece